Elianne Andam, 15, pleaded with friend’s ex during stabbing after teddy bear row, court hears

Elianne Andam pleaded for her friend’s ex-boyfriend to “stop” as he fatally stabbed her in a row over a teddy bear, the Old Bailey has heard.

Hassan Sentamu, who was 17 at the time, attacked 15-year-old Elianne with a kitchen knife after refusing to hand back belongings of her friend, who he had split from 10 days before.

He chased and repeatedly stabbed Elianne after she grabbed a bag of his clothes in solidarity with her friend outside Whitgift Shopping Centre in central Croydon, south London, in September 2023.

Sentamu, now 18, dumped the knife nearby but was arrested within 90 minutes after he got on the 64 bus towards his home in New Addington.

A video interview of Sentamu’s ex-girlfriend, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was played in court on Tuesday.

She said he turned up for a planned item exchange wearing gloves and a mask, which was “out of character”.

She knew Sentamu had an “anger issue” – and likened his demeanour to a character from the London-based crime drama Top Boy, the court heard.

“I thought he was gonna hit me. I thought that he had something on him because… watching shows and stuff like, for example, Top Boy, whenever someone’s about to get killed they always have on specifically black gloves.

“I’ve never seen him wear black gloves, it’s not cold outside.”

Having given him his bag of possessions, she said she asked for her belongings.

“He looked at me… and rolled his eyes a bit… and said ‘I don’t want to hurt you’… not like in an emotional way… like he’s warning me,” she said.

“I was saying ‘Where’s my teddy? Where’s my teddy? Where’s my teddy?’.

“He was looking me up and down just saying ‘look at you, look at you’… it was sort of like a disgusted way.”

The girl said she was annoyed and wanted to get to school so Elianne grabbed Sentamu’s belongings.

She said: “Elianne ran behind him, grabbed the bag and started running and laughing as a joke. It was the type of thing that Elianne would have done.

“At first I was laughing a bit ‘cos it was a joke and then I got scared ‘cos then Hassan got mad.”

She told police: “He then lifted up his hoodie quick, pulled out something and I saw a big knife.

“I turned around for one second then I saw her on the floor like trying to say ‘stop’, basically with her hand out. He was there like over her, bending.

“I just saw Elianne on the floor, like, backing up on the floor, with her hand out, basically saying ‘stop, stop, stop’ and I’m pretty sure I saw him bend and, like, try and do something else, like stab her again.”

When she turned around a second time, Sentamu was gone and passengers at a nearby bus stop began “shouting and screaming”, she said.

Before arranging the meeting, the girl said Sentamu had got angry and sworn at her during an argument over the phone.

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She said: “I just told him never ever speak to me like that ever again ‘cos I said ‘I’ve never been spoken to like that in my life’.

“I said no man should speak to a girl like that and he said ‘oh well, there’s a first time for everything’.

“And I said so that’s how you want to be like portrayed as someone that wants to be talking to females like that, basically.”

Earlier on Tuesday, police officers told the court that there was a “scene of chaos” outside the shopping centre and described how they identified Elianne.

PC Ben Carter told jurors: “Next to Elianne there was a school bag. Inside was a school planner that had her name on it and that was how we were able to identify her.”

Despite both the officers and the public delivering first aid, Elianne was pronounced dead at the scene at 9.21am.

The court also heard that Sentamu gave police officers a wrong name when he was arrested, and that he had blood on his thumb.

Jurors previously heard that Sentamu attacked Elianne after becoming angry at perceived “disrespect”.

Sentamu, who was studying sports science at Croydon College, has admitted manslaughter but denies Elianne’s murder on the basis of “loss of control” because he has autism.

He also denies a charge of having a blade, claiming he had a “lawful reason” for carrying it.

The trial continues.